FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEBREVARD COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATIONThursday, August 25, 2011

MEN'S SOCCER LOOKS TO CONTINUE LAST SEASON'S SUCCESS

Tornados gear up to return to the postseason after falling in quarterfinals

Brevard, N.C. - Fresh off their first postseason appearance in which the Tornados took the top seed to the limit before falling in double overtime, Brevard looks to pick up from where they left off as they approach the 2011 season with a pair of scrimmages against NCAA Division I opponents on their way to beginning their fourth season as members of the South Atlantic Conference.

Head Coach Juan Mascaro returns for his fifth season with Brevard College, having added the mantle of Interim Athletic Director to his title, but his focus on the 2011 season remains intact as he returns 13 players from last season’s squad. Mascaro will look to provide balance to the roster as he welcomes 19 transfers and freshmen to the team as the Tornados will look to establish a style of up-tempo play to the team dynamic this season.

Mascaro will have help this season on the sidelines, welcoming Associate Head Coach Shigeyoshi Shinohara to the bench. Shinohara has been the BC Women’s Soccer Head Coach for the last two seasons and has been successful at all levels of soccer he has coached on.

Leading the Tornados in the 2011 season is a trio of seniors, Scott Schuurman, Thomas Kombol and Anthony Cardenas.

Schuurman, a three-year starter at defender, is the 2011 Team Captain and will be someone Coach Mascaro will rely on to provide coaching on the field to the team. Schuurman also will provide an offensive threat, having recorded a goal and a pair of assists last season and will supplement the BC attack up front.

Kombol returns for his senior season and provides leadership in between the pipes. The only four year goalie on the roster, Kombol will have an impact both on and off the field for the Tornados. Cardenas will also provide an experienced hand for Coach Mascaro at defender, having played in 43 career matches with the Tornados. His leadership on the back line will help Brevard continue to establish their pattern of success in the 2011 season.

Also returning in goal for the Tornados in the 2011 season are junior Jack Shaw and sophomore Pauli Jussila. Shaw, or "Ginge" as the team affectionately calls him, returns with the most on-field experience for Brevard, having played in 27 matches in the goal over the past two seasons. His save percentage has climbed in each of the past two seasons, while his goals allowed have dropped as Shaw has become more reliable in the goal for the Tornados. Jussila also returns, having played in 13 matches as a true freshman. Jussila led the team with 48 saves last year, with a 69.3% save percentage and both Shaw and Jussila look poised to jump into the upper echelon of keepers in the SAC in the 2011 season.

Returning at the defender position with Schuurman and Cardenas are juniors Ryan Guill and Alec Darcey. The duo possesses the height and speed to duel with the top forwards in the conference and are sure-footed ball handlers on the back row.

Joining the quartet on BC’s last line of defense include junior transfer Joel Jalanne, sophomore Patrick Burke and freshmen Garrett Stone, Andre Luiz Corvello, Alejandro Rivillas and Nicolas Daza. Jalanne comes to Brevard from Hartwick College where he played under Coach John Scott and Bo Brinsko. Burke comes into Brevard after a decorated career at Tuscola High School, while Stone, Corvello, Rivillas and Daza all come in with impressive high school resumes and will look to fight for playing time and make an impact on the pitch from day one.

In the midfield, Landon Reid, Adam Martin, Patrick Urmson, Jacob Parker and Ian Baker are among the returners fighting for playing time. Reid scored a pair of goals in the 2010 season, including the game-tying goal in the SAC tournament quarterfinal game and will provide an offensive spark to the Tornados midfield. Urmson also returns for the Tornados after receiving the 2011 Coaches’ Award for his hard work and dedication to the squad and his balanced play gives Brevard a trusted weapon in the middle, while Martin, Parker and Baker provide experience and will battle for playing time among the multitude of newcomers this season.

A multitude of transfers and freshman also come in and will challenge for playing time as Paulo Silva, Jorge Davila, Felipe Mendonca, Derek Young, Efren Escoba, and Erik Hearn also will battle it out in practice as they fight to get on the field in their first season with the Tornados.

Jami Uuttu returns with the most experience up front for the Tornados, coming off a season in which he scored the first goal in the Tornados first playoff appearance, giving Brevard much needed momentum in their brief playoff run. The sophomore from Naantali, Finland is the Tornados leading returning goal scorer and also led the team with a pair of assists last season and is expected to step up in his role under Coach Mascaro to lead Brevard back to the postseason.

Tommi Rasinmaki, Marcelo Betcer, Daniel Zambrano, Jacob Crisp, Fernando Estevez and Lucas Goncalves will also see time up front for the Tornados in the 2011 season. Sophomores Rasinmaki and Betcer will provide experience to the squad as Rasinmaki comes to the team after earning a championship at Tampere University of Technology in Tampere, Finland, while Betcer transfers in from Colegio Anglo Modulo in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Freshmen Zambrano, Crisp, Estevez and Goncalves will provide energy and creative ability up front for Coach Mascaro.

The Tornados open up the 2011 preseason on Friday evening as they travel to Rock Hill, S.C. to take on Winthrop University in a preseason match scheduled for 7 p.m. Brevard will remain on the road in the preseason on Aug. 28th against Gardner-Webb, before opening up the 2011 regular season on the BC Soccer Field against Erskine College on Thursday, Sept. 1st against the Erskine College Flying Fleet.